Sidney Crosby

It just wouldn't be the Stanley Cup playoffs without some intriguing storylines to make it more compelling, and this spring is no exception. The Nashville Predators look to win their first Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins seek their third straight title, and the surprising Vegas Golden Knights look to be the inaugural first-year expansion team to win it all. And what should we make of the perennially-contending Washington Capitals?

The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins came into the playoffs as two-time defending Stanley Cup champions was in the spring of 1993. They did so with an NHL-best 119 points during the regular season, and rode a league-record 17-game winning streak into the postseason. But the Penguins were eliminated in the second round by the New York Islanders. Which only goes to prove that the playoffs are anybody's game.

There's always an intriguing sub plot whenever the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars clash. From 1967-93, the Stars performed as the Minnesota North Stars, reaching the Stanley Cup final in 1981 and 1991, until abandoning the State of Hockey for the Big D, where they won the Stanley Cup in 1999. But there's a lingering bitterness among Minnesotans that they were forsaken for a non-traditional hockey market.

Not all that long ago, the talk around the NHL was that the Boston Bruins were the hottest team in the league when they collected points in 18 straight games from Dec. 16-Jan. 25. Lately, though, it's the Pittsburgh Penguins who have ascended to the mantle of the team that is bringing the heat. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are 17-6-1 since Jangiroux. 1.

In a free fall out of playoff contention, the Chicago Blackhawks have lost eight games in a row, and things don't figure to get any easier for the Hawks with the Washington Capitals in town. The Caps have won three straight from the Blackhawks by a combined score of 15-4. They've also taken seven of their eight seven meetings from Chicago, and two of the last three at Chicago.

To win a championship, your best players must be your best players. That certainly was the case for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final, as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel combined for eight points.

You can say the things were bleak for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Nashville, and you'd be right. But there was a bright spot for the Pens - captain Sidney Crosby scored his first goal in his last 13 Stanley Cup final games.

When things are rough, there's no place like home. The Nashville Predators will testify to that. Their Game 3 win over Pittsburgh left the Preds 8-1 on home ice in the playoffs and back in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

The Nashville Predators overcame being an eight seed, they've overcome the loss of No. 1 center Ryan Johansen but following their loss to Pittsburgh in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, for the first time they must overcome a series deficit.